Putting Tips to Improve Your Stroke on the Green

Practicing putting drills that improve your stroke on the green is one of the quickest ways you can lower your scores. Many golfers lose far too many strokes by three-putting or worse once they arrive on the green. Putting drills can help you avoid this.

Any experienced golfer would agree that the short game is crucial to scoring well. In other words, what happens on and around the green can make or break your game. Unfortunately, three-putts, four-putts and even worse happen more often than you suspect. The good news is that you can use putting tips to hone your skills on the green and thereby lower your overall scores.

All putting drills should have a specific purpose and goal. The putting tips you use should focus on improving three things that are essential for accuracy in putting: keeping the putter’s face square; making a smooth stroke; and developing distance control.

Keeping the Putter’s Face Square:

Don’t stroke the ball with the blade open or closed. If this is one of your putting problems, try the following putting drill:

Put a ball on the surface of the putting green. Then stick a tee into the ground about a foot behind the ball and place a coin about six inches in front of the ball. Stand over the ball and bring your putter back until it lightly taps the tee, then stroke it forward while making sure the putter face remains square as it passes over the coin in front.

Making a Smooth Stroke:

This putting tip can teach you to make a smooth stroke with your putter. A smooth tempo is essential to striking the ball solidly and keeping it on your putting line.

Once again, put a ball down on the putting green with a tee stuck into the ground about a foot behind it. Bring your putter back until it lightly taps the tee and immediately start your fore-swing while keeping your hands still and your arms swinging like a pendulum.

Developing Distance Control:

Distance control is one of the most important things you can learn from putting drills. Distance control is governed by “touch” or “feel,” and nothing can help you master it better than practice.

Out of dozens of putting drills intended to develop distance control, one of the most effective is also one of the simplest. Stick five tees into the practice green four feet apart from each other. The last tee should be 20 feet away from you. Then, simply work on getting the ball to each of the five tees consistently. It’s okay if the ball rolls a few inches past the tee you’re aiming at, but you need more work if your ball comes up short or rolls well beyond your target.

This putting drill has you aiming at tees instead of a flag or cup in order to help you concentrate on distance instead of thinking about accuracy. Although both distance control and accuracy are essential, sometimes it’s best to learn them separately.

Many more putting tips are available on a large number of golf websites and from golf professionals. You’ll need time, patience and practice to improve your skills on the green. Learn how to read how the green breaks and how you should lag a putt. Most of all, however, learn to love practicing putting drills, because they work.